Litchfield High Sports | The Journal-News

After Bulldogs Top All-Sport List Last Year, Who's Got Next?

For the second year in a row, Staunton was the landing spot for All-SCC Trophy after the Bulldogs captured four South Central Conference titles in the 2025-26 school year. Staunton finished with … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 8/13/26

Litchfield Football To Play JV Only In 2026

Varsity football may not be in the cards for Litchfield High School in 2026, but administrators at the school are hoping the year of junior varsity ball will help the program in the future. … more

7/27/26

Litchfield wrestlers Vinny Moore and Rilynn Younker each took first in their weight class at the Midwest Nationals Tournament in Bloomington on Saturday, June 27.

Moore, Younker Score Wins At Midwest Nationals

Litchfield wrestlers picked up a pair of championships at the Midwest Nationals Tournament in Bloomington on Saturday, June 27, earning championship rings in the process. Vinny Moore, a 2026 graduate … more

7/2/26

This year's all-state softball and baseball selections from the four Montgomery County high schools, from the left, are Hillsboro's Lainey Lessman and Peyton Chappelear, Lincolnwood's Tori Elvidge and Litchfield-Mt. Olive's Matthew Bywater.

Four Earn All-State Honors This Spring

Hillsboro’s Lainey Lessman and Peyton Chappelear, Lincolnwood-Morrisonville’s Tori Elvidge and Litchfield-Mt. Olive’s Matthew Bywater were recently named to the softball and baseball all-state … more

6/22/26

Litchfield, Hillsboro Put 11 On All-SCC List

Eight players from the Litchfield-Mt. Olive co-op girls soccer team and three members from the Hillsboro girls squad earned all-conference honors this season, as voted on by the coaches of the South … more

6/18/26

Six Toppers, One Panther Make Softball All-Conference Teams

Six Hillsboro softball players and one from the Litchfield-Mt. Olive co-op team made all-conference this season, as voted on by the coaches of the South Central Conference. Hillsboro’s Lainey … more

6/18/26

Four Make All-SCC Baseball Teams

Litchfield-Mt. Olive earned three spots on this year’s South Central Conference all-conference baseball teams, while Hillsboro earned two spots from the coaches of the South Central Conference this … more

6/18/26

Litchfield Head Baseball Coach Rocky Giannuzzi talks things over at third base earlier this season with Titan Hires, one of ten seniors on this year's Panther roster. After four years at the helm of the program, Giannuzzi recently made the decision to resign to spend more time with his family.

Giannuzzi Resigns As Panther Baseball Coach

After four years at the helm of his alma mater’s baseball team, Litchfield High School Baseball Coach Rocky Giannuzzi has made the decision to resign. “This program has meant a great deal to … more

6/11/26

Litchfield's Allison Belusko hit 94 of 100 targets to win the Class 2A female junior varsity division at the Illinois High School Clay Target League State Tournament on May 31, in Bunker Hill.

Belusko Brings Home State Title

Litchfield’s Allison Belusko hit 94 of her 100 targets to bring home a state championship in the Class 2A junior varsity female division at the Illinois High School Clay Target League State … more

6/8/26

Litchfield’s Avery Stewart and Father McGivney’s Layla Tobin clash while going for a corner kick in the first half of the IHSA Class 1A super-sectional game in Bethalto on Monday, June 1. The Panthers held McGivney to three goals, almost two fewer than their season average, but the Griffins continued their shutout streak and earned a spot in the Class 1A State Tournament with a 3-0 victory over Litchfield.

Griffins Beat Litchfield For Spot At Soccer State

The Litchfield-Mt. Olive girls soccer team saw their season come to an end at the Civic Memorial Super-Sectional on Monday, June 1, with a 3-0 loss to Father McGivney Catholic High School as the … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 6/4/26

Litchfield's McKenna Harmon shields Marquette's Katherine Fitzgerald from the ball during the sectional championship game at Litchfield on Friday, May 29. Harmon scored twice for the Lady Panthers, who won their first sectional title in girls soccer with a 3-1 win over the Explorers.

Panthers Claim Sectional Crown

The Litchfield-Mt. Olive girls soccer team avenged their only loss of the season on Friday, May 29, and earned the program’s first ever trip to the super-sectionals in the process. The Lady … more

6/1/26

Litchfield's Alec Roach (right) and Morrison's Levi Milder sprint toward the finish line during the fifth and final preliminary heat for the 100 meter dash at the IHSA Class 1A State Finals on Thursday, May 28. Both Roach and Milder advanced to Saturday's finals, finishing seventh and fifth respectively.

Roach Doubles Up At State

Ben Bishop, Cameron Crow, Jeremy Pattillo, Keenan Powell, Kohle Verstreater and now, as of Saturday, May 30, Alec Roach. Of the 32 members of the Litchfield High School boys track team who have won … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 6/1/26

Shells Walk It Off In Litchfield

Following their heroic, walk-off effort on Wednesday night, the Litchfield Purple Panthers advanced to compete in their third consecutive regional championship game on Saturday, May 30. Standing in … more

6/1/26

Litchfield Battles Back To Beat North Mac

With their backs against the wall, the Litchfield Purple Panthers manufactured three dramatic runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, overtaking North Mac and punching their ticket to the regional … more

6/1/26

Civic Memorial's Abby Brueckner works to keep the ball away from Litchfield senior Chloe Law during the sectional semifinal game in Litchfield on Tuesday, May 26. Law assisted on the Panthers' second goal, her 100th of her career, and scored the go-ahead goal in the final six minutes of Litchfield's 3-2 win over the Eagles, which moved them on to the sectional final on Friday, May 29, against Alton Marquette.

Litchfield Soccer Returns To Sectional Championship

The Litchfield girls soccer team snapped one losing streak against a Metro-East power to earn their spot in Friday’s sectional championship, now they just need to do it again to win their first … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 5/28/26

Litchfield Boys Get Back-To-Back Titles

The Litchfield High School boys track team had the chance to do something for the first time in the program’s history on Wednesday, May 20, as they entered the Gillespie Sectional looking for their … more

5/28/26

Litchfield, Morrisonville, Nokomis To Play For Regional Championships

It was a busy night for Montgomery County's high school baseball teams as three of them had the opportunity to punch their ticket to the regional championship games this weekend. Once the smoke … more

5/28/26

The Litchfield-Mt. Olive girls soccer team picked up their eighth regional championship and a team-record 22nd win on the season on Saturday, May 23, with a 9-1 victory over Hillsboro in the championship game of the Hillsboro Regional. In front, from the left, are Maya Estell, Alli Frerichs, Avery Stewart and Chloe Law. In the middle are Kyndal Law, Lydia Gruelle, Emma Weidner, Lynzie Reid, Kathryn Cox, Halle Rogers and Savannah Carle. In the back are Melody Vazzi, Eva Essington, Madison Betz, Cheyenne Cobix, Justice Binney, Charlotte Reyes, McKenna Harmon, Mataya Melchert, Kilee Hoover, Zoei Schmitz, Emily Buzick and Adia Melchert.

Panthers Punch Ticket To Sectionals

The last time the Hillsboro and Litchfield-Mt. Olive girls soccer teams met at the Hillsboro Sports Complex, the Lady Panthers needed 33 minutes to get goal number one. Less than a month later, … more

5/26/26

Litchfield's Ava White (#509) takes the handoff from teammate Leighton Warchol during the 4x400 relay at the IHSA State Track Meet on Thursday, May 21, in Charleston. The race was the last of 11 for the Lady Panthers, their most state qualifiers since at least 1997.

Lady Panthers Learn In State Meet Debut

The 2026 IHSA Class 1A State Track Meet may not have turned out how Litchfield hoped it would, but that shouldn’t take anything away from what the Lady Panthers accomplished this season. They were … more

5/26/26

Roxana Beats Panthers In Possible Regional Preview

The Litchfield Purple Panthers wrapped up their 2026 regular season campaign on Thursday afternoon, May 21, when the Roxana Shells visited Litchfield High School. The Shells used a nine-run … more

5/26/26